Barrons GRE Vocabulary List 9

gracious:beneficent; merciful; disposed to show kindness or favorE.g.He actually went on to praise John McCain for giving a gracious concession speech.

graduate:one who has received an academicals or professional degree; one who has completed the prescribed course of studyE.g.He is a graduate in medicine.

graduated:having a university degree; having completed training; having steps; arranged by grade, level, degreeE.g.Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.

granary:building for storing threshed grain; region yielding much grainE.g.When you harvest your crop, you store it in a fat dried mud and stick granary, which is taller than you can reach.

grandeur:quality or condition of being grand; magnificenceE.g.The concept that matter and energy are inter-convertible strikes to the core of the universe, probably exceeds in grandeur any other picture the field of physical science.

grandiloquent:speaking or expressed in lofty style; using high sounding language; overly wordyE.g.The politician could never speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.

grandiose:impressive from inherent grandeur; large and impressive, in size, scope or extentE.g.The aged matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the theatrical world.

granulate:form into grains or small masses; make rough on surfaceE.g.We used to granulate sugar in order to dissolve more readily.

graphic:represented by graph; described in vivid detail; clearly outlinedE.g.Read the story, then enlarge the title graphic to see what its about.

graphite:something used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactorsE.g.One of the benefits of using graphite is that it keeps the silver from oxidizing, so bullets come out bright and shiny.

grapple:wrestle; come to grips with; seize firmly, as with the handsE.g.He can grapple with the burglar and overpowered him.

grate:make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shredE.g.The screams of the quarreling children grate on her nerves.

gratify:give pleasure to; satisfy; indulge; make happyE.g.Hence an important means towards happiness is the control of our desires, and the extinction of those that we cannot gratify, which is brought about by virtue.

gratis:free, without charge; costing nothingE.g.The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products.

gratuitous:given freely; unwarranted; granted without recompense; unearnedE.g.Yet many of these movies contain gratuitous and graphic violence.

gratuity:something given freely or without recompense; free gift; a presentE.g.To express their gratitude, patients provided a more-or-less voluntary gratuity.

gravity:seriousness; solemn and dignified feeling; natural force between two massive bodiesE.g.We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression.

gregarious:sociable; seeking and enjoying the company of othersE.g.Natural selection in gregarious animals operates upon groups rather than upon individuals.

grievance:cause of grief or distress; discomfort or painE.g.When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union.

grill:question severely; torture or afflictE.g.In violation of the Miranda law, the policemen grill the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights.

grim:unrelenting; rigid; dismal and gloomy; cold and forbiddingE.g.Robert held her gaze for a long time, his expression grim and slightly troubled.

grimace:facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgustE.g.Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure.

grisly:frightfully; terribly; inspiring horrorE.g.The Israeli strikes on Gaza are being broadcast in grisly detail almost continually on Arab satellite networks.

groom:boy or young man; waiter; servant; man recently married, or about to be married; bridegroomE.g.In the United States, on average a groom is 2.3 years older than his bride.

groove:long narrow furrow or channel; settled routine; very pleasurable experienceE.g.If a groove is chipped across one of the concrete columns or through one of the bond beams within the walls, it will weaken the structure.

grotto:small cave, usually with attractive featuresE.g.Inside the grotto is a large hole full of toads and serpents, by which you descend to a small cellar containing the spring.

grouse:complain or grumble; seek or shoot grouseE.g.Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dormitory food.

grovel:crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrateE.g.Do we not grovel here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?

growl:utter a deep guttural sound, as angry dog; give forth an angry, grumbling sound; emit low guttural soundE.g.Meanwhile Armstrong continues to grunt, to growl, to bite into his gums but all to no avail: he's over five minutes behind now.

grudge:be unwilling or reluctant to give or admit; be envious; show discontentE.g.The students have to stop protesting and grudge the higher tuition money.

grudging:unwilling or with reluctance; stingyE.g.We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

gruel:liquid food made by boiling oatmealE.g.Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

grueling:by effort to the point of exhaustion, especially physical effortE.g.Lawmakers around the nation spent Tuesday in grueling, around-the-clock budget sessions as they struggled to avoid government shutdowns.

gruesome:causing horror and repugnance; frightful and shockingE.g.Rader seemed to proudly relive his crimes as he recounted his killings in gruesome detail, right in front of the victims' families.

gruff:having rough, surly, or harsh natureE.g.Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

grumble:utter or emit low dull rumbling soundsE.g.When a local historical society showed interest in preserving the Cider Barrel, he began to grumble, complaining about the "society."

guffaw:loud, rude burst of laughter; horse-laughE.g.A loud guffaw that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committee had not yet settled down to serious business.

guile:skillful deceit; disposition to deceive or cheat; disguise cunninglyE.g.However, never under-estimate the capacity for guile of a truly cunning and determined terrorist.

guileless:free from deceit; sincere; honestE.g.He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

guise:outward appearance or aspect; mode of dress; false appearanceE.g.The Mona Lisa, in its kind of mysterious guise, is really a creation of 19th-century French critics who chose to see it in those terms.

gull:mostly white aquatic bird having long pointed wings and short legsE.g.The Yukon's most common and widespread gull species arrive in early-May and breed throughout the area.

gullible:easily deceived or cheated; easily tricked because of being too trustingE.g.This time, unlike gullible investors during the 1920s, the big losers would be taxpayers, who never had the choice of not playing.

gush:flow forth suddenly in great volume; make an excessive displayE.g.The president uses Twitter to inform followers about events he attends, to post articles he finds interesting, and to gush about famous visitors to campus.

gust:blast; outburstE.g.If a gust of wind swept the waste, I looked up, fearing it was the rush of a bull; if a plover whistled, I imagined it a man.

gustatory:relating to sense of taste; relating to gustationE.g.The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used to a bland cuisine.

gusto:nice or keen appreciation or enjoyment; enthusiasmE.g.The culture of making learning something to love and engage in with gusto is totally absent.

gusty:windy or stormy; given to sudden bursts of passion; excitable; irritableE.g.Winds may be occasionally gusty from the northwest during the afternoon.

habitat:type of environment in which an organism or group normally livesE.g.So if you destroy the habitat in which these fish feed and breed then you're going to destroy sustainability of that fishery.

hackneyed:repeated too often; over familiar through overuseE.g.When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.

haggard:wasted away; showing wearing effects of overwork or sufferingE.g.After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

haggle:argue about prices; bargain, as over the price of somethingE.g.They'll again haggle over a state mandate that would require businesses to give equal pay to men and women performing the same jobs.

hail:call for; salute; greet; praise vociferouslyE.g.The US Embassy in Manila found itself under a hail of rotten fruit early today, the latest symptom of anti-American feeling reverberating across Asia in recent days.

halcyon:idyllically calm and peaceful; marked by peace and prosperityE.g.Recalling the halcyon days of early 2008, Hedgie momentarily forgot himself.

hallowed:associated with a divine power; made holy; worthy of religious venerationE.g.What was to be carried back to the ship and laid in hallowed ground in Scotland?

hallucination:mistaken opinion or idea; delusion; illusory perceptionE.g.He refused to believe that the angel was a hallucination.

halting:hesitant; faltering; imperfect or defectiveE.g.Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

hamper:put at disadvantage; prevent progress or free movement ofE.g.The new mother didn't realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.

handsome:skillful; handy; agreeable to the eye or to correct taste; having a pleasing appearance; attractiveE.g.He is described as a handsome, charming and slightly older author.

haphazard:not thorough, constant or consistent; by chanceE.g.His haphazard reading left him unacquainted with the authors of the books.

hapless:without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappyE.g.His hapless lover was knocked down by a car.

harangue:noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expressionE.g.In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.

harass:irritate or torment persistently; wear out; exhaustE.g.In some instances, state public health workers have been found to harass and threaten people testing positive for HIV.

harbinger:forerunner; an indication of approach of something or someoneE.g.The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

hardy:in robust and good health; able to survive under unfavorable conditionsE.g.Strawberries are hardy and easy to grow.

harrowing:agonizing; distressing extremely painfulE.g.At first the former prisoner did not wish to discuss his harrowing months of captivity as a political hostage.

hatch:breed; emerge from the eggE.g.It is not easy to watch that young birds, fish, and reptiles hatch.

haughtiness:pride; arrogance; highness or loftinessE.g.When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his haughtiness.

haunt:be a regular or frequent visitor to a certain place; bother; disturbE.g.Jason will once again haunt the cursed campgrounds of Crystal Lake, but this time, hockey-masked Jason is the real killer.

haven:refuge; shelter; harbor or anchorage; portE.g.There was a bat haven saved in church roof.

havoc:wide and general destruction; devastation; wasteE.g.The earthquake has made great havoc of the city.

hazard:danger; riskE.g.And across Baghdad there are hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of rubbish, and this is proving to be an increasingly serious health hazard.

hazardous:dangerous; reckless; daring; inclined to run risksE.g.People who employ pregnant women and children in hazardous occupations do so because such labor is cheaper than the labor of adult men, it's a simple matter of maximizing profits.

hazy:slightly obscure; unclear, confused, or uncertainE.g.I have only a hazy notion of what she wants.

headlong:uncontrollably forceful or fast; done with head leading; headfirstE.g.The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

healthful:conducive to good health of body or mindE.g.Granada is high in elevation and has a dry, healthful climate.

heckler:one who harasses others;one who tries to embarrass others with questions and objectionsE.g.The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks.

heed:pay attention to; listen to and considerE.g.A tip that you may want to heed is to identify a product that buyers will need on a regular basis.

heedless:unaware, without noticing; unmindful or thoughtlessE.g.He drove on, heedless of the danger warnings placed at the side of the road.

hegemony:domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by political group or nation over othersE.g.When Germany claimed hegemony over Russia, Stalin was outraged.

heinous:grossly wicked; abominable; hateful; infamousE.g.I'm a sincere believer that people who have engaged in heinous crimes deserve the ultimate retribution.

helm:steering gear of a ship, especially the tiller or wheel; position of leadership or control; directorE.g.The helm is made of two very large oars, firmly bound to a kind of bracket in front of the rear platform, and worked by a long curved stick.

hem:edge or border on a piece of cloth, especially a finished edgeE.g.When seated, the dress hem is still nice and long.

herald:proclaim; announces important news; messengerE.g.I thought the swift darting beam was a herald of some coming vision from another world.

herbivorous:grain-eating; plant-eating; feeding only on plantsE.g.Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food.

heresy:opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religionE.g.Galileo's assertion that the earth moved around the sun directly contradicted the religious teachings of his day; as a result, he was tried for heresy.

hermetic:sealed by fusion so as to be airtightE.g.After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.

hermetic:sealed by fusion so as to be airtightE.g.After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.

hermitage:place where one can live in seclusion; home of one isolated from society for religious reasonsE.g.Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.

heterodox:unorthodox; unconventional; not in agreement with accepted beliefs, especially in church doctrineE.g.To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.

heterogeneous:consisting of dissimilar elements or parts; completely differentE.g.This year's entering class is a remarkably heterogeneous body: it includes students from forty different states and twenty-six foreign countries, some the children of billionaires, others the offspring of welfare families.

hew:cut with an ax; fell with a sharp instrument; form or shape with a sharp instrument; cutE.g.They hew their way through the dense jungle.

heyday:period of greatest popularity, success, or power; golden ageE.g.In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.

hiatus:gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pauseE.g.During the summer hiatus, many students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition for the next school year.

hibernal:wintry; belonging or relating to winterE.g.Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

hibernate:sleep throughout winter; be in inactive or dormant stateE.g.Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.

hide:prevent from being seen or discoveredE.g.But he did not hide their disagreement over Kyoto.

hideous:frightful, shocking, or offensive to the eyes; offensive to moral sensibilities; despicableE.g.Their faces and bodies were tattooed or scarred in hideous designs.

hierarchy:arrangement by rank or standing; series in which each element is graded or rankedE.g.To be low man on the totem pole is to have an inferior place in the hierarchy.

hilarity:great enjoyable or amusing activityE.g.This hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

hindrance:something that holds back or causes problems with something else; obstacleE.g.Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay.

historic:having importance or significance in history; belonging to the past; historicalE.g.This Congress is not going to want to miss that opportunity to achieve that kind of historic agreement.

histrionic:characteristic of acting or stage performanceE.g.He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to play the role of Hamlet.

hive:box, basket, or other structure, for the reception and habitation of a swarm of honeybees; a place swarming with busy occupants; crowdE.g.When a hive is threatened, bees release a pheromone-like substance which is called an alarm odor.

hoard:stockpile; accumulate for future useE.g.Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, many people are tempted to hoard food.

hoary:gray or white with or as if with age; covered with grayish hairE.g.The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.

hoax:act intended to deceive or trick; practical jokeE.g.Mr. Troyer said later that some of the search had been in response to a hoax - a man called the police and falsely said he was the gunman.

holocaust:great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire; massive slaughterE.g.A holocaust is an event so terrible that it's hard to believe or talk about.

holster:case of leather or similar material for pistolE.g.Outside of certain specified situations, in Texas simple public display of a handgun in a holster is illegal.

homage:special honor or respect shown or expressed publicly; tributeE.g.That kind of homage may strengthen the resolve of the majority in the Golden State and turn aside the narrow vote of the people.

homely:of home; domestic; familiar; intimate; plain; unpretending; rude in appearance; unpolishedE.g.The king said it was all the more homely and more pleasant for these fixings, and so don't disturb them.

homespun:plain; simple; made of cloth spun or woven in the homeE.g.I like the air of homespun country boys.

homogeneous:of the same or similar nature or kindE.g.Because the student body at Elite Prep was so homogeneous, Sara decided to send daughter to another school that offered greater cultural diversity.

hone:sharpen; perfect or make more intense or effectiveE.g.Many people have little actual experience in real estate, or real estate investing, and the best tool they can hone is the ability to research real estate properties.

hoodwink:deceive; take in by deceptive means; deludeE.g.The fast-talking salesman wanted to hoodwink him, however he was extremely cautious.

horde:a large group or crowd; wandering troop or gang; a moving crowdE.g.Before Christmas the store will treat a special horde of shoppers.

horticultural:pertaining to cultivation of gardens or orchardsE.g.When he bought his house, he began to look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books dealing with horticultural matters.

hostage:prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified termsE.g.The surviving pirate accused of taking an American ship captain hostage is here, and we're getting our first look at him.

hostility:unfriendliness; hatred; state of being hostileE.g.This opposition may take one of the forms already described, some other forms which have been overlooked, but the root of the hostility is the same in all.

hovel:shack; small, wretched houseE.g.He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

hover:hang about; wait nearby; remain floatingE.g.He held the aircraft to hover on the lake and listened over his headset.

hubbub:loud noise of many confused voices; tumult; uproar.E.g.He covered his head with the bedclothes and waited in a horror of suspense for his doom; for he had not the shadow of a doubt that this entire hubbub was about him.

hubris:excessive pride or self-confidenceE.g.Nathan's hubris spurred him to do things that many considered insensitive.

hull:outer covering of anything, particularly of a nut or of grain; outer skin of a kernel; huskE.g.Divers trying to raise the bodies of 118 sailors from the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine were near to finishing a man-sized hole in the hull on Tuesday.

humane:marked by kindness, mercy, or compassionE.g.What launched your interest in humane treatment of livestock in the first place?

humanitarian:philanthropic; one devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reformsE.g.Oxfam is making a big appeal for humanitarian aid to Darfur and neighboring Chad, where millions of people have been made homeless by fighting.

humble:low or inferior in station or quality; modestE.g.'May it please your Majesty,' said Two, in a very humble tone, going down on one knee as he spoke, 'we were trying--'

humdrum:lacking variety or excitement; monotonousE.g.After his years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.

humid:containing a high amount of water or water vaporE.g.She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

humility:quality or condition of being humble; low estimate of one's self; self-abasementE.g."A certain humility is required for this game," says Angela, who is running her brother Pat's campaign.

hurl:throw with great force; cast; tossE.g.I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy.

hurtle:crash; move with or as if with great speed and rushing noiseE.g.The runaway train would hurtle toward disaster.

husbandry:practice of cultivating the land or raising stock; care of domestic affairs; economy; domestic management; thriftE.g.Many of Yunnan nomadic tribes or those engaged in husbandry, in particular, relied on agricultural products from Sichuan.

hybrid:something of mixed origin or compositionE.g.The purchase price of a plug-in hybrid is expected to be considerably higher than for a conventional diesel car since the batteries are still expensive.

hydrophobia:rabies, especially in human beings; abnormal fear of waterE.g.A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia.

hygiene:cleanliness; sanitationE.g.Read below for information on some hygiene basics and learn how to deal with greasy hair, perspiration, and body hair.

hyperbole:figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis; overstatementE.g.As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new computer are pure hyperbole: no machine is that good!

hypercritical:excessively exacting; inclined to judge too severelyE.g.You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.

hypnosis:supervening of sleep; production of sleep; hypnotic state; hypnotismE.g.I have great interest in hypnosis and the subconscious mind.

hypochondriac:patient with imaginary symptoms and ailments; one who is morbidly anxious about his health, and generally depressedE.g.The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypochondriac.

hypocritical:pretending to be virtuous; deceivingE.g.It was a protest against the hypocritical policies of the United States, which has supported Mubarak despite his autocratic rule.

hypothetical:based on assumptions; supposedE.g.Technical terms would be introduced gradually and their meanings are usually explained in hypothetical situations.

hysteria:behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic; mental disorderE.g.Man made global warming hysteria is based on bad mathematical models that have not once been able to hindsight forecast.

ichthyology:branch of zoology that deals with study of fishesE.g.Jacques Cousteau's programs about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology.

iconoclastic:attacking cherished traditions; characterized by attack on established beliefsE.g.Deeply iconoclastic, Jean Genet deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays.

ideology:study of origin and nature of ideasE.g.For people who had grown up believing in the communist ideology, it was hard to adjust to capitalism.

idiom:expression whose meaning differs from meanings of its individual words; distinctive styleE.g.The phrase "to lose one's marbles" is an idiom: if I say that Joe's lost his marbles, I'm not asking you to find some for him. I'm telling you that he's crazy.

idiosyncrasy:behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individualE.g.One Richard Nixon's little idiosyncrasy was his liking for ketchup on cottage cheese.

idle:useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; given rest and ease; avoiding work or employment; lazyE.g.He is vexed at my idle ways and waste of time: as if I need like a city clerk, six days a week and no holidays!

idolatry:worship of idols; excessive admirationE.g.Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

idyllic:excellent and delightful in all respectsE.g.That place is an idyllic spot for a picnic.

igneous:produced under conditions involving intense heatE.g.Igneous rock is rock formed by solidification from a molten state.

ignite:kindle; cause to start burning; set fire toE.g.A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

ignoble:of lowly origin; not noble in quality, character, or purpose; unworthyE.g.This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.

ignominy:deep disgrace; shame or dishonorE.g.To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained chimpanzee! How could Rollo stand the ignominy of his defeat?.

illicit:illegal; unlawful; not authorized or permittedE.g.Some earned a living in illicit trafficking, from smuggling to prostitution, but others had been educated in France and had fortunes, lands, and slaves.

illimitable:without limits in extent, size, or quantityE.g.Man, having explored the far corners of the earth, is now reaching out into illimitable space.

illuminate:provide or brighten with light; clear up or make understandable; enlightenE.g.Yes, I have hidden her; neither the light of the sun, nor any social taper shall again illuminate her kindly face.

illusion:misleading vision; being deceived by a false perception or beliefE.g.Puncturing this illusion is the key to winning the battle of ideas.

illusive:deceptive; misleading; based on or having the nature of an illusionE.g.He used to have illusive hopes of finding a better job.

illusory:deceptive or tending of deceive; not realE.g.Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.

imbalance:lack of balance or symmetry; disproportionE.g.What Peterson wrote about South Dakota's government now being in imbalance is most certainly true.

imbibe:drink in; absorb or take in as if by drinkingE.g.The dry soil can imbibe the rain quickly.

imbue:inspire or influence thoroughly; stain or dye deeply or completelyE.g.The point is that the most vacuous of the vacuous draws big crowds and media and it doesn't imbue them with substance.

immaculate:spotless; flawless; absolutely cleanE.g.Chatman said her mom and dad always kept their vehicles in immaculate shape.

imminent:near at hand; close in time; about to occurE.g.Peak oil does not mean that we are in imminent danger of running out of oil.

immobility:quality of not moving; remaining in placeE.g.Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

immune:resistant to; free or exempt from; not subject toE.g.Still, the company doesn't expect to remain immune from the effects of the downturn.

immutable:unable to be changed without exception; not mutableE.g.All things change over time; nothing is immutable.

impassable:not able to be traveled or crossedE.g.A giant redwood had fallen across the highway, blocking all four lanes: the road was impassable.

impasse:road or passage having no exit; deadlockE.g.One possibility to resolve the impasse is a new candidate.

impassioned:actuated or characterized by passion or zeal; showing warmth of feeling; ardent; animated; excitedE.g.She recalled the impassioned kiss he had pressed on her lips -- why it was only yesterday.

impassive:without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excitedE.g.Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face impassive.

impeccable:faultless; incapable of sin or wrongdoingE.g.His voting record has been impeccable from a conservative point of view.

impecunious:without money; poor; pennilessE.g.Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give alms, he easily could have afforded to be charitable.

impede:hinder; charge with improper conduct; challenge validity of; try to discreditE.g.A series of accidents impede the launching of the space shuttle.

impediment:any structure that makes progress difficult; stumbling-blockE.g.The main impediment is overcoming the legacy of mismanagement and waste left by the previous Government.

impel:drive or force onward; drive forward; urge to action through moral pressureE.g.A strong feeling of urgency would impel her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.

impending:close in time; about to occur; approachingE.g.We have very strict rules about what prosecutors can say in impending cases.

impenetrable:not able to be entered; beyond understandingE.g.The men behind the bailout take refuge in impenetrable jargon.

impenitent:impervious to moral persuasion; of hard heartE.g.We could see from his tough guy attitude that he was impenitent.

imperative:having power command or control; critically importance; some duty that is essential and urgentE.g.Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.

imperceptible:impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or sensesE.g.Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was imperceptible after the blouse had gone through the wash.

imperial:like an emperor; related to an empire; ruling over extensive territoriesE.g.Yet we lack the willingness, and perhaps the ability, to make the sacrifices necessary to maintain imperial dominion over that region.

imperious:urgent or pressing; able to deal authoritatively; dictatorialE.g.Jane rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr. Rochester seemed so bent on getting his own way that he was actually imperious!

impermeable:not allowing passage, especially of liquids; waterproofE.g.This new material is impermeable to liquids.